The invention relates to a cutting device of the type outlined in the introductory part of claim 1.
A cutting device of this type is known from patent specification FR 2 715 095 A1 for example, and cutting devices of this type are advantageously used for rescuing passengers from vehicles which have been involved in an accident if the doors of a vehicle are no longer operational after an accident and it is necessary to cut open a vehicle in order to rescue passengers after an accident. A cutting device of this type comprises a main frame body on which a stationary cutting element is disposed, as well as a hook-shaped cutting blade which can be moved towards the stationary cutting element by means of a drive system, thereby enabling an object disposed between the displaceable cutting blade and the stationary cutting element to be cut open by cutting or tearing a strip-shaped portion out of the object so as to split the object open. By tearing out adjacent strips, it is also possible to break open a flat object, thereby enabling a vehicle to be opened in order to rescue a passenger. To ensure that it is also possible to cut open robust and stable materials such as steel panels with a thickness in excess of 1 cm in this manner, the cutting device must be capable of transmitting very strong cutting forces or shearing forces to an object and such cutting devices must be very strong in terms of their design. The disadvantage of this is that the weight of such a cutting device is very high, usually in the range of approximately 30 kg, which usually makes it very difficult or even impossible for a single person to operate it. U.S. Pat. No. 2,329,387 A discloses another hand-operated tool for cutting sheet metal, whereby a pivoting movement of two handles mounted on a cylindrical hollow body pull a blade which is axially displaceable in the hollow body and has a cutting head at its free end which is retracted into the hollow body during a cutting operation. The blade has a rod-shaped extension on which the handles act via a connecting rod and move the blade backwards and forwards. Because these metal cutters are operated by hand, the range of applications for which they can be used is limited and they are not really suitable for rescuing passengers from vehicles that have been involved in an accident, for example. Since these metal cutters are of relatively small dimensions, this document provides no information as to how operation of a cutting device can be made easier.